French America Line has canceled Louisiane sailings through December because of mechanical problems on its second cruise.
The newest player in the overnight riverboat market returned to New Orleans for plumbing repairs which do not require drydocking, said Christopher Tidmore, co-owner and vice president of community affairs. Water overflowed from a tank and got into lower crew quarters and the food stores.
The 110 mostly Australian passengers were taken off the vessel and given a road tour of the stops as well as a refund. “We had four sold out cruises which were canceled in November, followed by high levels of sales through December,” he said. Those passengers also will get refunds.
The company, which started sailing in late October, expects Louisiane to return to service Feb. 1 in Houston where it will provide dockside accommodations for the Super Bowl, he said.
The former 203’8”x60’x12’ Columbia Queen, which underwent a multimillion refurbishment, holds 150 passengers and a crew of 64 sailing on five- to 10-day cruises on the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland and Red rivers and the intracoastal waterway. French America Line bought the riverboat for an undisclosed sum from Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Greenwood Village, Colo., which in 2011 purchased the vessel and other assets of Ambassadors International, Inc., out of bankruptcy court. Ambassadors was the parent of money-losing Majestic America Line, which shut down in 2008.
